Horray for the Red, White, and Blue

Horray for the Red, White, and Blue

The red and white and starry blue

Is Freedom's shield and hope. ~ John Philip Sousa

Flag Day ~ June 14th

A few thrifty finds just in 

time to honor the Stars and Stripes!

Staffordshire Liberty Blue 
Promotional Pattern Developed for 
Benjamin Franklin Federal Savings and Loan

to Commemorate the Company's 50th Anniversary in 1975

and the American Bicentennial Celebrated in 1976

The dinnerware features fifteen 

different historical scenes, all from Colonial America.

The borders are a typical floral 
often seen on English transferware.

The cereal bowl features Betsy Ross,
the legendary seamstress credited with 
making the first American flag.

Each piece is marked on the back 
with the name of the historic scene.

This dinner plate 
features Independence Hall.

The mark on the dinner plate is much more 
refined and includes specific information about the 
original copper engraving used to produce the scene.

~ Red ~ White ~ Blue ~
~ Stars ~ Stripes ~

The perfect patriotic dishes!

Tutorials, Tips, and Tidbits
I like to buy vintage hankies and scarves to use as 
napkins and tray covers.  The added texture is unexpected.

~ F is for flag ~

It's red for love, and it's white for law, 

And it's blue for the hope that our forefathers saw 

Of a larger liberty.

Unknown

Mary Emmerling's AMERICAN COUNTRY FLAGS

~ CELEBRATE FLAG DAY ~

Joining

Thursday Favorite Things @ Katherine's Corner Home and Garden Thursday @ Delightsome Life 

Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch 
Dishing It and Digging It @ Life and Linda Mosaic 
Monday @ Letting Go of the Bay Leaf  You're the Star @ Electric Red Barn 

Make It Pretty Monday @ The Dedicated House  Celebrate Your Story @ Chasing Quiantness

 Keep in Touch @ Let's Add Sprinkles   Over the Moon @ Marilyn's Treats 

Are You Ready for the 4th Of July?

Are you ready for the 4th of July?

Memorial Day, Flag Day, the 4th of July, and Labor Day are all summer holidays. Each provides a perfect opportunity to spotlight the US flag, Uncle Sam, and Lady Liberty.

One of my favorite collections that I bring out for these holidays is my group of patriotic figures and American flags. As an elementary teacher, each year I taught a patriotic unit that focused on American symbols. At some point through the years, I found myself picking up various models of Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty or ephemera that featured the image of these two figures of Americana. Sharing these pieces of "folk art" with my students often provided visual inspiration for student art, and a tangible connection with these iconic symbols of America.

Now that I'm retired, these figures provide patriotic decor here at HFTS for the summer holidays: Memorial Day, Flag Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day.

This flying Uncle Sam charm ornament includes the famous "I Want You" poster among the various charms hanging from his arms.

Red and white striped pants, a blue coat, and a top hat are typical dress for most of the Uncle Sam figures.

and often times Uncle Sam is proudly waving

"Old Glory" in one of his hands.

Lady Liberty is always featured with a crown of gold.

Some of my figures are paper maché or resin . . .

but many are hand-carved like this

dapper gentleman with his walking stick.

This Uncle Sam is only five inches tall and badly faded, but someone took great care to carve this gentlemen. It is signed and dated 1940.

Some Uncle Sam figures are made to resemble a nutcracker.

This trio is done in needlepoint, hand-stitched by me.

I stitched this needlepoint tassel

designed by Sandy Jenkins in the 1990s.

A vintage oak hall bench is a popular spot for holiday pillows.

Saundra Slagle was the creator of this jaunty Uncle Sam soft sculpture. I stitched the Lady Liberty in 1997. It too is a Sandy Jenkins design.

The tall, thin US figure in the center of this group is an original made by Dawn Tubbs in 2008. He is holding an elephant in one had and a donkey in the other hand.

This group includes Nancy Thomas' Uncle Sam stilt figure (1999), a paper maché figure by Carole Watts (2002), and the rolly polly wooden figure by James Haddon (1990).

Standing at a height of 12 inches, this glittery Uncle Sam was made in 2002 as part of the 10th Anniversary Nutcracker Village Collection.

Can't say that this Uncle Sam fishing lure is particularly handsome, though it is in the original box which provides documentation that this piece was sold as a souvenir during the 1976 Bicentennial Celebration of the USA.

This flying Uncle Sam made of resin is unmarked.

My favorite is this Lady Liberty and Uncle Sam whirligig. When the wind blows the paddles, the figures bend to kiss.

Those of you interested in starting your own collection of these ubiquitous American symbols might want to get a copy of THE FOREMOST GUIDE TO UNCLE SAM COLLECTABLES, by Gerald Czulewicz, Sr. Available here at Amazon.

Vintage 4th of July themed post cards are an interesting aspect of Americana. Raphael Tuck and Tabor Prang were two of the prominent artists whose work was produced on post cards as full-color lithographs. Vintage postcards often include a handwritten message and canceled postage.

Of the cards in my collection, three of them are postmarked: one dated 1907 and the other two dated 1912. You can see that one was postmarked from the "S. S. Colon" on Independence Day, 1912.

If you visited my post on National Flag Day~June 14th, you know I attended the OpSail 2000 in NYC. I purchased these post cards depicting US stamps used through the years that feature Lady Liberty.

I had them specially postmarked that day.

These patriotic ice-fishing decoys were a find at the NY Pier Antique Show in 2000. They are unsigned, but definitely vintage.

I doubt that the patriotic motif is typical of most of these vintage ice-fishing decoys, but it was the stars and strips that caught my attention. The vintage tin which features Betsy Ross and the Pledge of Alligance once held some type of food item.

It's traditional in many areas across the United States for outdoor patriotic concerts to be held under the stars the evening of July 4th. Many end with spectacular fireworks displays, and all are the perfect venue for a summer picnic. My vintage picnic basket is from the 60s, a gift from my father the year I went off to the university. Unfortunately there will be no outdoor concert or fireworks in our city this year. Fireworks have been banned and the concert canceled.

No patriotic parade, concert, ceremony, or party would be complete without the ubiquitous paper flag to help one cool off in the summer heat.

Many families in neighborhoods across our town will gather Monday Morning on the 4th of July for their own local neighborhood parades. Vintage cars like this 1952 MGTD beauty will be a popular sight. I'll be at our neighborhood parade, and once it cools down in the evening, we will picnic with a few of our neighbors.

I "heart" Americana.

~

I'm proud to be an American!

What will you do to celebrate this year?

Wishing each of you a Happy 4th of July!

Flag Day ~ 2011

It's been a busy week here at HFTS with little computer time, but Flag Day is important to me so I took the liberty to recycle my post from last year. I hope it inspires others to proudly display the American flag and bring out some red, white, and blue for the summer months. 4th of July will be here before you know it.

Flag Day is also my brother's birthday. Happy Birthday, David!

National Flag Day ~ June 14th

Although many states had designated a special day to honor the US flag each year, it wasn't until 1949 that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day.

Here at HFTS the US flag and other patriotic symbols of our country are front and center during the summer months. Affectionately known as Old Glory, the Stars & Stripes, or the Star Spangled Banner, the American flag is a Grand Old Flag.

Long an enthusiast of Americana, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to attend the special exhibit, STRIPES and STARS, A GRAPHIC HISTORY OF AN AMERICAN ICON. The AIGA National Design Center hosted the STRIPES and STARS exhibit, at their 5th Avenue center in NYC the summer of 2000. The exhibit was an amazing collection of US flag related items assembled by Kit Hinrichs of California. The large poster lower right in the above mosaic is from the exhibit. I had it framed, and it is now part of my American collection.

The exhibit, a mere sampling of Mr. Hinrichs collection of flag memorabilia was so well received that Mr. Hinrichs decided to publish LONG MAY SHE WAVE. This large, beautiful book documents the complete collection of over 500 items with incredible color images meticulously photographed by renowned artist, Terry Heffernan. Mr. Hinrichs' collection has been "hailed as a marvel of folk history and a time capsule of cultural commentary." The exhibit catalog notes "Despite legal restrictions adopted by Congress in 1912 and 1934, the exhibition illustrates that popular interpretations of the flag motif have continued to proliferate, resulting in a rich visual history of a true American icon."

UNITED WE STAND, by Peter Gwillim Kreitier, is another wonderful book for those interested in the American flag. In response to Pearl Harbor, to celebrate Independence Day in 1942, every major US magazine featured an image of the American Flag on its cover. This book reproduces more than 100 of those magazine covers that saluted Old Glory across the nation July 1942.

Mary Emmerling's AMERICAN COUNTRY FLAGS is a charming little book of various flags in folk art. Each page features beautiful full color images and quotes related to the American flag.

The US flag is often found on United States Postage Stamps. In 2002, perhaps in response to Kit Hinrichs' popular exhibit, the U. S. Post Office issued a set of five Americana stamps featuring flag ephemera. A small booklet that featured other flag folk art images and included twenty of the 37-cent stamps was available from the U. S. Post Office.

In 2000, I purchased this sheet of 33-cent U S postage stamps that commemorate The Stars And Stripes with various images of the U S flag through the years.

I had my sheet of flag stamps specially stamped for the occasion of OpSail 2000, the Parade of Tall Ships on the Hudson River and New York Harbor.

After 9/11 American patriotism was very popular. The American flag was seen being flown at almost every home in many neighborhoods. Flags flew on antenna of cars and trucks, and many wore a small American flag pin on their lapel. The top and bottom photos of the above collage are pins in my collection. The center card is an advertisement from Maximal Art's Vintage Americana Collection. You can find Maximal Art online at www.maximalart.com.

These small individual vintage flags were once used on student desks in a classroom. The silk flags show 48 stars, the flag used between 1912 and 1959. The 48 star flag was the second longest in use.

Its red for love, and its white for law,

And its blue for the hope that our forefathers saw,

Of a larger liberty.

Unknown

Mary Emmerling's AMERICAN COUNTRY FLAGS

A special thank you to all the hostesses of the following weekly memes:

Blue Monday @ Smiling Sally's

Mosaic Monday @ Little Red House

Three or More Tuesday @ The Gypsy's Corner

Tabletop Tuesday @ A Stroll Through Life

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

White Wednesdays @ Faded Charm

Rednesday @ Sue Loves Cherries

Open House Party @ No Minimalist Here

Inspirational Friday @ The Picket Fence

Hodgepodge Friday @ It's a Hodgepodge Life

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home

Show & Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage

Seasonal Sunday @ The Tablescaper

Sunday Favorites @ Happy to Design